SA legal tech expert breaks the mould

South African legal tech expert, Leah Molatseli, has become the first African woman to be honoured by the American Bar Association (ABA) for her contribution to and influence in the legal tech industry.

Molatseli, a South African lawyer, published legal tech author and speaker, and legal tech and innovation specialist, enjoys everything that involves using technology and innovative processes to empower lawyers, whatever their roles.

She currently heads the business development division for South African legal tech firm, Legal Interact, where she focuses on the intersection between law, innovation, and technology, using her expertise to educate and empower the legal market.

After the announcement, Raphael Segal, Managing Director of Legal Interact, took to LinkedIn to praise Molatseli on her accolade. “Yesterday at Legal Interact we paid homage to one of our own, Leah Molatseli, for being recognised by the American Bar Association for her contribution and role in legal tech. Whilst the recognition and the award is a spectacular achievement for one of South Africa’s home grown #legaltech evangelists (who hails from the #FreeState). That Leah is the first African female to be honoured makes it momentous and inspires not only the Legal Interact team but the entire African continent’s legal ecosystem. We #salute you Leah Molatseli!”

“We don’t do it for the recognition,” said Molatseli in response to the announcement, “but when it does happen it just affirms what I have personally been building for the past five years or so in trying to use my voice and work for the greater good. If anything else fails, ultimately the world needs to remember that African tech solutions, more so legal tech solutions, stand tall against the best of the best on the global stage.”

Over the years, Molatseli has positioned herself as one of Africa’s most influential and prominent thought leaders in the legal tech sector. In addition to being a host and guest speaker for various legal tech talks globally, she’s also a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town, where she develops and teaches legal tech innovation related courses to the broader legal industry.

A Mandela Washington Fellow, as well as a Notre Dame Alumna, Molatseli also sits as a Council Member at the University of the Free State, as part of the Advisory Board for the Global Legal Tech Hub, and the Women in Tech South African Chapter, a country member for the Global Legal Tech Consortium; and is one of 2022’s ILTA’s Most Influential Women in Legal Tech Honorees.

The ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center aims to celebrate the women currently in the legal tech space and to encourage more women to join the ranks, by publishing an annual list of “Women of Legal Tech”.

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